University of Jijel

Faculty of Sciences and Technology

Department of Architecture

1st year Licence GTU

Subject : Introduction to urban planning 1

Chapter 02: History of cities

Lesson 03: The ancient city

Academic year: 2023-2024

01 Introduction

02 The Mesopotamian city

03 The Egyptian city

04 The Greek city

05 The Roman city

06 Conclusion

07 Bibliographical references
1. INTRODUCTION

The term "urban planning" was coined at the beginning

of the 20th century. However, since ancient times, man

has considered the CITY as a privileged field of

expression for the organization of society, and for the

realization of his artistic abilities and technical skills

(Merlin, 1991, p. 5).

The city is in constant transformation. The economic, political and social changes that punctuate history bring
about changes in urban forms and uses.

As far as the town's historical development is B- Poly-centrality: We come across this notion when
concerned, two concepts can be identified: evoking industrial, modern and contemporary cities.
During this period, the city imploded, then exploded,

A. Mono-centrality: this concept is common resulting in rapid, anarchic expansion and a disorderly,

to cities of antiquity, the Middle Ages and uninhabitable environment. The city, which had been a

the Renaissance. Decision-making powers homogeneous organism and a structured whole, became a

and public facilities, among other things, are collection of fragments and an addition of areas linked

concentrated within the same spatial together by means of transport and through a network of

perimeter and physical unit. services.

 The urban
phenomenon dates
back to Antiquity.

The Middle East is home to some of the oldest cities in the world. These cities appear
today in the form of vestiges.
2. The Mesopotamian city

Between the 6th and 5th

millennia, the first cities in
the modern sense appeared
in Mesopotamia, Egypt
and the Indus Valley.

Mesopotamia : literally the land "between the

rivers", is a historic region of the Middle East
located between the Tigris and Euphrates
rivers. For the most part, it corresponds to
present-day Iraq and Syria.
Map of Mesopotamia
Source: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9sopotamie#/media/Fichier:N-
Mesopotamia_and_Syria_english.svg
 Enclosures are pierced by several gates, which can sometimes
be very large. The religious or political center may be
The Mesopotamian city has no
separated from the rest of the city by another enclosure.
standard model, even if certain
constants can be identified over the long The cities of Mesopotamia were subject to precise legislation
term. Cities were protected by outer based on religion and law. But there were marked differences
walls, which were sometimes overtaken between cities. Among the Assyrians, the military function
by urban development, necessitating the was preponderant, as the people were organized for conquest
construction of a second wall, as in the and dominated by the military caste, whereas the Babylonians
great capitals of the 1st millennium, were farmers and merchants governed by a religious caste
Assur, Nineveh and Babylon. that had the upper hand in economic and social life.
A new politico-religious
organization to ensure command
and defense. The military
function was
institutionalized.Political
command ensured its visibility
through the creation of palatial
zones and fortified enclosures,
including the religious center of
power.
The city also extended its
protection to the surrounding
villages, on which it
depended for food supplies.
The struggle for influence
between cities led to the
creation of the first empires.
 2.1. examples of middle eastern cities
❑ The town of Habuba Kabira
POne of the oldest cities in the world, founded in the 4th century B.C. on the banks of the Euphrates river, on rugged
terrain to provide defense, drinking water and trade (Vallet R., 1996).

The town of
Habuba Kabira.
Source : Vallet,
R. (1996).
The town's structure is based
on a coherent layout
developed around a main
artery, with hierarchical
streets serving houses of
varying sizes.

Partially restored schematic plan of the road network

Source : Vallet, R. (1996).
It is surrounded by a wall with gates to ensure connection with the outside world. The temple and acropolis symbolize
religious power in the city. Habuba Kabira is not only an excavated city, but also a founded one - in other words, it's the
oldest example of urban planning dominated by voluntarism.
 ❑ The city of Mari

Mari dates back to around 2900

BC and is located in the extreme
south-east of Syria on the
Middle Euphrates. Located on
this plain, Mari was an
important Mesopotamian city as
early as the 3rd millennium BC.
La ville de Mari.
Source : https://www.lelivrescolaire.fr/page/16858845
4. The great royal palace.
1. Canal connected to the Euphrates. 3. Inner rampart to protect 5. The little oriental palace.
2. Flood protection rampart. against attack. 6. The temple of the god Dagan.
The city's structure is based on a circular plan,
encircled by a dike and a rampart for added
protection. Connected to the Euphrates River by an
artificial canal that runs through the city. The network
of streets is hierarchical, leading to the city's built-up
areas such as the houses, the temple and the acropolis.
A large area in the center is devoted to crafts.

This city was founded voluntarily, i.e. artificially created

(ex nihilo) as part of a gigantic development program.
The site of the city-state of Mari, today.
Source : https://www.lelivrescolaire.fr/page/16858845
 ❑ The city of Babylon
Capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (626-
539 BC) and of the villages and agricultural
areas surrounding the ancient city, the city is
located 85 km south of Baghdad. Shaped like
a trapezium, the city's layout was designed
and enclosed by two walls: an outer and an The city of Babylon.
Source
inner wall, to further strengthen the city. The :https://www.larousse.
fr/encyclopedie/image
city's spiritual character was reflected in
s/Babylone/1011168
the road network, with the addition of a new
type of road known as the streets of the
gods.
The city is crossed by the Euphrates River, which bisects it in a
north-south direction. The city center is located on the right bank of
the ancient Euphrates, covering an area of between 450 and 500
hectares, and featuring the main monuments. The second complex
is built on the left bank of the ancient course of the Euphrates,
covering some 130 hectares. It did not include the most visible
monuments.
The third and last complex is a vast triangle protected by an
enclosure built in Neo-Babylonian times around the first zone, and
extending up to 2.5 km north of it, on the Babil tell, where the only
known monument in this part of the city, the "Summer Palace",
The city of Babylon
was located.
Source : Hadef, 2021, p 17
Political power is expressed through the
construction of palaces, while religious
power is expressed through temples,
including the ziggurat, which was probably
the inspiration for the Tower of Babel.

The ziggurat: also known as the "foundation

platform of heaven and earth".
- The base of the ziggurat measures 8,100 m2 and is
shaped like a 90 m square.
- Adding up the heights of the upper levels (07) and
the summit temple, the total height is 90 m. The
ziggurat fits into a perfect cube, its height equal to the The Babylonian ziggurat
https://jeanclaudegolvin.com/greco-romain-irak-babylone-ziggourat/
length of the sides of its base.
Babylon, in turn, exerted considerable political, scientific, technological,
architectural and artistic influence on other settlements in the region and on
successive historical periods in antiquity.

Mesopotamian urban planning does not appear to be based on technical

or religious concepts, but rather on the essential criterion of the need to
live as a community, within a given physical framework: narrow
service roads, elaborate foundations for arteries, canals, quays, bridges,
gardens and decoration.
3. The Egyptian city
In Egypt, the most ancient settlements have
been erased by the annual flooding of the
Nile, and even the great cities of Memphis
and Thebes are marked by stone monuments,
tombs and temples, not by houses and
palaces. Cities in Egypt, as in China, are
ordered: the layout is rectilinear, the
squares rectangular, and the cardinal
points often orient the main axes.

https://nefernathy.e-monsite.com/pages/les-sites/memphis.html
 https://nefernathy.e-monsite.com/pages/les-sites/memphis.html

The city of Memphis, founded by the first Pharaoh Menes at the mouth of the delta, is surrounded by a "white wall";
the temples and pyramids are not in the city, but south of the wall. They are arranged as an independent, divine and
eternal city. The latter (also known as the City of the Dead) is built of stone, and features several volumes: prisms,
pyramids, obelisks, gigantic statues such as the Great Sphinx, which are not on a human scale and are similar in size to
elements of the natural landscape.
The city of the living, on the other hand, is built
in brick, including the palaces of the pharaohs.
Town-planning presided over the layout, even
if these plans only resulted in the layout of
official, religious or specialized
neighborhoods. The organization of these
plans is highly diverse, adapted to the nature
of the terrain.
Egyptian urban civilization left behind an
image of advanced urban organization based
on spiritual values that influenced all sciences The reconstruction of the city of Memphis.
Source:https://www.pinterest.de/search/pins/?q=Memphis%20%C3%A9
and disciplines. gypte&rs
 4. The Greek city

The city in Greece was born in the 8th

century B.C.: in Sparta and Athens.
Before being an urban space, it was a
community of citizens: "The Greek city
(polis) is an entirely independent
community of citizens, sovereign over the
citizens who make it up, cemented by cults
and governed by nomoi [laws]" (André
Aymard).
The ancient Greek city.
Source : https://www.pinterest.fr/pin/436638126367673651
 The Greek city is a city-state, a form of
political organization characteristic of the
ancient Greek world, combining a territory
(urban center and surrounding countryside)
and a system of government centered
around the community of citizens,
constituting a system of small state units.

According to the Larousse dictionary: The city-state is a

political entity whose territory corresponds broadly to that of
a large city, and which generally possesses all the powers
General layout of a Greek city
and characteristics of a sovereign state. (Appearing in
Source http://www.t3fb.com/histoire_de_l_art/9796_h_a.jpg
Mesopotamia in the 3rd millennium BC, the city-state has
designated a specific political organization that has varied
according to time and region).
 The first city-states appeared in

Mesopotamia. In the Greek world,

most cities were built by the sea

and included a port.

▪ City-state: Territory made up of a

town and the surrounding
countryside, forming a small
independent state.
https://www.lelivrescolaire.fr/page/16858967
4.1. Characteristics of the Greek city
The Greek city is essentially composed of two
parts:

1-Acropolis: in Greek, Acropolis means the

upper part. Situated on a hill covering an
area of around 4 hectares, this component
contained the places of worship that testified
to the supremacy of the spiritual dimension in
Greek life. A veritable fortress, surrounded by
a surrounding wall, it was the last refuge for
the Greeks in case of danger. Ancient Athens, an exceptional Greek city
Source : https://www.histoire-pour-tous.fr/dossiers/5696-
athenes-cite-grecque-antique-d-exception.html
2-Astypolis: This is the lower
part of the city surrounding the
Acropolis. It contained the rest
of the city's structuring
elements:

Source : https://www.schoolmouv.fr/cours/le-monde-des-cites-grecques/fiche-de-
cours
- The agora: The agora concentrates
a multiplicity of different uses. It
serves as a marketplace, a political
and religious center and a place for
craftsmanship; it's also a
community gathering place where
social equilibrium is maintained,
justice is dispensed and celebrations
are held.

- The communal foyer: a covered

room where citizens are represented.

Representation of the Athenian agora beneath the Acropolis (Wonders of

the past, 1934) ©Getty - The Print Collector/Print Collector - Getty
 The reconstruction of Massalia (Marseille) in antiquity -Greek city-.
http://hgmignet.over-blog.com/2020/10/6e-histoire.massalia-une-cite-grecque.html
4.2. Town planning principles

From 480 onwards, urban anarchy was

brought to order. The irregular layout of the
road network was adapted for defensive
purposes. In the upper town, the layout was
adapted to the topography of the
terrain, while in the lower part, it was more
regular, adopting the principle of

Hippodamus of Miletus. The blocks are

rectangular in shape, with different
surfaces depending on the use of the space.
Kleanthis and Schaubert's plan of Athens. 1833.
Source:http://theses.univlyon2.fr/documents/getpart.php?id=lyon2.2008.di
mitropoulou_m&part=294513
❑ The Greek city was thought through and built according to
development plans. The Hippodamean plan allowed for the
rational use of space. It allows spaces to be reserved for specific
purposes (Agora, temples, etc.).

❑ Regular, predominantly orthogonal layout, with rectangles

(16/7, 9/5 or 4/3 blocks) coordinating the reciprocal
ornamentation of the buildings.

❑ Agora enclosed by gantries.

❑ Coordinate the layout of public buildings to create a dynamic,

harmonious whole.

❑ Terracing of uneven terrain and linking of different levels by

means of steps or staircases.
Plan of Millet by Hippodamos.
The role of Greek philosophers: They prepared the minds
of citizens to accept scientifically-based urban planning
rules, which are :
These towns had a commercial and
❑ Use the right of expropriation for major urban public
residential function, so burials were
works.
forbidden and cemeteries were created
❑ Protect public space from private enterprise.
outside the city walls.
❑ Destroy all construction encroaching on the public
highway.
❑ Control garbage collection.
5. The Roman town
The towns created by the Romans
were support towns for the
conquest, often following on from
a military camp, respecting the
rules of orientation, size and
distribution, but also responding
to site selection criteria (road
axis, presence of water, high point,
ease of access and supply, wind
direction...).
Expansion of the Roman Empire
Source: https://www.schoolmouv.fr/cours/les-conquetes-et-la-gestion-de-l-
empire-romain/fiche-de-cours
 5.1. Foundations of Roman town planning
The Roman world exported the Greek model,
notably through the construction of its numerous
colonies. The city was organized around a more
or less regular plan. Two major axes (main
streets), perpendicular to each other: the Cardo
maximus (north-south axis) and the Decumanus
maximus (east-west axis), 14 to 15 and up to 30
m wide, leading to gateways.

The choice of a foundation site is a very sacred part of the

process of creating a Roman city. The divine signs that appear Source: Patrice Jadel, 2021

in the sky are the main criterion for establishing the city in
this space.
Secondary streets, parallel to the first ones and never less than 2.5 m wide, delimited
square or rectangular islets (insulae) measuring 60 to 70 m on each side. Residential,
commercial and craft districts were built around the FORUM, occupying several islets at
the intersection of the main roads.

the forum was not always at the city's

center of gravity, but in maritime
cities it was always close to the port.
Residential neighborhoods are made up of two
types of housing, depending on the social
strata. The Domus (urban house of the
wealthy), with its introverted facades
overlooking a landscaped courtyard, is
often built one storey back from the street,
with a small entrance in the middle. The less
wealthy occupy buildings (Insulae) divided
into apartments and sometimes stores on the
first floor. Source : https://www.worldhistory.org/article/77/the-roman-domus/
https://www.ikonet.com/fr/ledictionnairevisuel/arts-
et-architecture/architecture/maison-romaine.php

http://hgv85.free.fr/minisites/rome-antique6/rome_antique_page2_insulae.html
5.2. Distinctive features of the Roman town

❑ The forum: Occupying a large area of

the urban space in the center of the city,
near the intersection of the two main axes,
the forum was the place for meetings
and ceremonies, and was responsible for
the various political, administrative,
judicial and commercial activities and
functions of the entire city.

The Gallo-Roman Forum of Nemausus

Source :http://www.nemausensis.com/Nimes/pertus/pertus02.htm
❑ The triumphal arch: generally placed at the
entrance to the city, except in Rome, where the
arches are placed in the center. The triumphal
arch is the symbol of a victory, and consists of
one or three surmounted arches.

❑ Temples: places of worship.

❑ Theaters, amphitheaters, circuses: buildings for
leisure and sport.
❑ Thermal baths: buildings for public bathing. The triumphal arch.
Source : https://strome2010.wordpress.com/2009/12/17/- les-arcs-de-
❑ Bridges and aqueducts ... triomphe-a-rome/
The Roman city was a major consumer of water, with its
fountains, thermal baths, mills and residential quarters,
especially the houses of the wealthy, supplied with running
water. A drinking water supply network of overhead and
underground pipes and aqueducts brought water to the city
from springs, lakes and distant rivers. A sewage and
rainwater drainage system empties into underground
sewers beneath the streets of the Roman city.

Street paving was also developed by the Romans.

Rome is home to numerous
monuments, some of which
originated with the Greeks (e.g.
amphitheatre, circus, temples).

The Colosseum (a huge

amphitheatre) is undoubtedly
Rome's most emblematic
monument.

Ancient Rome
Source: https://www.rome-roma.net/musee-de-la-civilisation-romaine/reconstitution-de-la-
rome-antique/
The town of Timgad
in Algeria is an example
of the Roman
checkerboard city. This
colony was founded by
Trajan in 100 AD in the
high plains north of the
Aurès (wilaya of Batna).

the Roman town of Timgad

Source : https://www.leguidetouristique.com/ruinesbr/timgad-thamugadi
6. Conclusion

✓ The city was born in the East, on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and the Nile.
✓ The ancient city was essentially a city of consumers ( limited economic role). Towns lived off
the taxes, rents and products they drew from the countryside.
✓ The center organizes not only the life of the city, but also the region in which it is located (area
of influence). It is also the city's geographically central space; the point where communication
routes converge.
✓ Monocentric urbanization of the territory, bringing together all central functions, whether
political, economic, religious, symbolic or social.
 References
❖ BEREZOWSKA-AZZAG, E. (2011). Connaître le
contexte de développement durable. Projet urbain,
Guide méthodologique, Vol1.
❖ DJOUAD Fatima-Zahra, 2021 : Polycopié de Cours
“Introduction à l’urbanisme”,Université 08 Mai 1945
de Guelma.
❖ HADEF, H (2021) : Polycopié de Cours “Introduction
à l’urbanisme”,Université de Jijel.
❖ L. MELOUAH. « Cours : Généralités sur la ville et
son évolution », M1 GV.
❖ MAOUIA, S. (2000). Eléments d’introduction à
l’urbanisme. Histoire, Méthodologie, Réglementation,
Alger: casbah édition, p202.
❖ MERLIN, P. (1991). L'urbanisme. Que sais-je.
❖ VALLET, R. (1996). Habuba Kebira: ou la naissance
de l'urbanisme. Paléorient, 45-76.
• https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9sopotamie#/media/F
ichier:N-Mesopotamia_and_Syria_english.svg
• https://www.lelivrescolaire.fr/page/16858845
• https://strome2010.wordpress.com/2009/12/17/- les-arcs-de-
triomphe-a-rome/
• http://www.nemausensis.com/Nimes/pertus/pertus02.htm
• https://www.schoolmouv.fr/cours/les-conquetes-et-la-
gestion-de-l-empire-romain/fiche-de-cours
• http://theses.univlyon2.fr/documents/getpart.php?id=lyon2.2
008.dimitropoulou_m&part=294513
• https://www.schoolmouv.fr/cours/le-monde-des-cites-
grecques/fiche-de-cours
• https://www.histoire-pour-tous.fr/dossiers/5696-athenes-cite-
grecque-antique-d-exception.html
• https://www.lelivrescolaire.fr/page/16858967
• http://www.t3fb.com/histoire_de_l_art/9796_h_a.jpg
• https://www.lelivrescolaire.fr/page/16858845
• https://nefernathy.e-monsite.com/pages/les-
sites/memphis.html